Sane Ideas for Safer Schools A School Leaders' Collective organised by The Teacher Foundation in collaboration with Times Foundation

These past couple of months, a cacophony of voices and views have been heard in Bangalore city and on national TV Channels about schools being unsafe spaces for students. Steps have also been suggested by the Police and Education Departments, most of which are centred around vigilance against entry of strangers into schools and installation of CCTV cameras in the campus. This of course has huge cost implications for institutions. Schools therefore, have been in a state of confusion about how best to ensure that children are safe from abuse and that atrocities like the rape of a 6-year old girl within a school won't happen again. The School Leaders' Collective organised by The Teacher Foundation in collaboration with Times Foundation on 21st August 2014, provided a platform to share ideas for sustainable steps towards safe schools. Aptly called Sane Ideas for Safer Schools, the Collective had over 120 attendees from a range of schools both from Bangalore as well as other towns in Karnataka.

The objective of the collective was to provide voice to key stakeholders of schools who had practical and thoughtful ideas regarding the safety of schools. The invited speakers included students, a counsellor, a head teacher from the UK, a parent and all the attending heads and teachers.

The 3 hour session began with a welcome address by Maya Menon, Director, The Teacher Foundation. (TTF) She mentioned that while the trigger for the Collective was the criminal incident that took place within a school premises, the problem however is much bigger. It is a symptom of a deeper malaise in all our schools – indifference to children, despite being the reason why schools exist. Educators are largely indifferent to children's views, fears, worries and indeed their safety! She emphasised the need for educators, who know and understand schools, to lead the initiative towards safer schools instead of the police, parents or the public at large. She said, “ We need to regularly reach out and talk, support and draw strength from each other.”

This was followed by a panel discussion by 6 high school students from 3 city schools – Ayushman and Vallari from Army Public School, Maleeha and Hibah from Oasis International School and Parth and Manvi from Sishu Griha. They were invited to give their views on what a safe school means to them. The students' ideas of a safe school included:

A place where we feel comfortable both physically and emotionally. Such a school understands children.

Where there is a strong bond between every student and teacher, where students can talk to teachers about not only their problems but also their feelings and what makes them happy.

A school is safe where students are free and they understand that with freedom comes responsibility

A school is safe where teachers are understanding, affectionate and listen to us.

Where the school understands children and the connection between teachers and students is close and there is no fear; teachers understand their feelings, problems and hardships

Where we feel protected, where we trust the teacher and they trust us, where there is open communication

Another question posed to the student panel was “Do you think things have changed in the past few weeks?” The panel's spontaneous responses were :

There have been drastic changes over the past few weeks, teachers are becoming more stressed and are not able to focus on teaching, it's not fair on teachers!

There is now a difference between teachers and student relationships... such situations can be taken care of by making sure that the teacher selection procedure is stricter, and there are written norms that are followed.

Before the schools were more open, we never thought of safety, safety was taken for granted. Now we notice that teachers are more scared of students, students get angry very easily. It's very difficult for teachers now, the future of our country is getting 'degraded' (sic)!

Full knowledge of the incident is not given so that teachers and students are able to talk to each other freely. A key aspect here is approachability.

The guidelines given by the government are silly.

Sometimes with some teachers students are too free. Both cross borders that they are not supposed to do. Students then lose respect for such teachers. This is evident by the way they argue with them.

If you are talking of a student – teacher bond, a teacher being open does not diminish our respect for her. We all have favourite teachers... When we know that that teacher will support us, that they will back us up, then we feel safe and we are able to share everything with them.

Every teacher has a different way of handling students. But wouldn't you rather have a teacher who listens and understands you? Being approachable is imperative for a teacher !

If a teacher is approachable, that teacher gets more respect than a teacher who is unapproachable.

The panel discussion by students helped lend a young person's perspective to the theme. They were spontaneous and articulate in expressing their views. The key points emerging from their session was a concern over not just physical safety of schools, but also emotional safety. They also highlighted the role of the teacher, who by being approachable and pleasant contributes to making a safe school environment.

This was followed by a lucid talk by the experienced Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Neena David. She spoke about the “need for understanding the multi-dimensional aspect of safety.” As an aside, she wondered “How many people would have turned up (at the collective) if the situation did not warrant legal requirements?” She narrated an incident at a school where was conducting a workshop on safety with 6 and 7 graders. “I asked them: “How many of you feel safe in school “ – Nearly all said 'yes'. Then I asked “How many are bullied or disrespected regularly in school? Nearly 80% of hands went up. So,in reflection, the sense I got was that safety is being understood as only absence of physical danger. Statistics say that abuse happens from within, little more than half of all perpetrators are persons known to the victim.“

Dr. David urged the participants to consider “What is unsafe about schools?”. She said for children, being unsafe would be getting into fights, high levels of bullying orsarcasm. She went on to cite neuroscience and that children's perception of threat is very different from an adult's and that when children are constantly under perceived threat, one could be setting the stage for a life time of dysfunction. The body releases high levels of cortisone, which could damage the brain and impede learning. When children feel unsafe and not 'in control' they experience a sense of hopelessness, which could affect immunity, memory and the learning process. It could also result in external manifestations such as vandalising or aggressive behaviour, eating disorders, low participation. She emphasised that learning does not happen in a vacuum and safety in schools is not about CCTV cameras, vigilance officers and control. Safety is determined by the conditions that allow students to feel safe, to learn and thrive. To meet the criteria of safe schools recognition, positive school climate and culture are big requisites. Safe schools are those that celebrate being positive, treating staff and students alike with respect and sensitivity. Dr. David reiterated that respect and regard need to be built into the curriculum, so that all children are given opportunities to develop socially and emotionally. Clear boundaries and responses on behaviour, clear response plans and procedures need to be laid out for both staff and students .

The next speaker was Gina Menon, Deputy Headteacher of Raynham Primary School, London who shared practices and policies that are prevalent in UK schools to ensure pupil safety.

Gina listed out the following prerequisites for safe schools in the UK :

A calm and respectful environment, for children to learn - The implications here are for teachers and school managements to ensure clean, orderly, cheerful and conducive environments for children to learn in. There also need to be on-going precautionary daily measures not only in case of crisis. All teaching staff members as well as anyone given the care of children are duly vetted through the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) to ascertain that they are suitable for working with young children and that they have no criminal history especially in case of paedophiles.

Speedy and appropriate response to Child abuse : Child abuse could be physical or emotional and must be reported immediately. The child in question has to be cared for, specially if any medical attention is needed. It is the legal responsibility of teachers to report any concerns in and out school to the designated Child Protection Officer in the school. The Pastoral Care Officer ensures that children know who they are and that they can be approached if there's anything that bothers or upsets them, whether silly or serious. Children are also encouraged to speak to the class teacher, to their parent, or another child. Gina revealed that sometimes pupils go up to teachers saying that their friend has big problem and teachers are trained to always listen to them.

Restricted entry to visitors. Any one visiting the school is given a badge that states who they are and what their purpose is in visiting the school.

Rigorous and regular training of Teaching and non teaching Staff -Teachers are trained in children protection at start of their employment. Subsequently every two years a half day refresher course is conducted on child safety in schools. These trainings ensure that all teachers and staff are aware of safety procedures.

Detailed reference checks of new teachers – to confirm that they are dependable enough to be working with children. One question that is asked is “Will you employ this person again?”. The answer needs to be just a yes or no.

Precautions to be taken by staff - All staff are alert to sudden changes in behaviour of children and they are required to fill a form to state their concerns. Staff are advised never to be alone with a student with the door shut. Teachers do not touch or hit children. No kind of familiar touch is acceptable and staff are required to be vigilant, when children change clothes for Physical Education but they may not look at them. Teachers are alert for any evidence of self harm by children, changes in behaviour, use of inappropriate or demonstration of anger or crying.

Respecting a pupil's word – If children make an allegation against a teacher – teachers are required to stay away from school till the local educational authority investigates the issue and clears the teacher's name.

Special programmes for Pupils – to sensitise them to domestic violence, cyber-bullying, handling of stress using theatre workshops

Gina emphasised that during a crisis, everyone in the school should be aware of their respective role . Ultimately, it is the moral obligation of the School Head and the senior leadership team to effectively manage alleviate the situation.

Gina's valuable and insightful session was followed by Mr. Bala, who spoke as a parent of two school-goers. He stated that the issue of children's safety is the equal responsibility of parents and teachers. He remarked that schools today tend to outsource many of their routine curricular and co-curricular activities to external people and agencies and that could make the school vulnerable in terms of its overall safety. Schools must have an open door policy to enable free expression of views. Schools and the home need to inculcate in safety habits especially with regard to substance abuse, online abuse and the various forms of abuse that they may be susceptible to.

The collated responses of the groups that brainstormed on each aspect are given below:

Steps a school needs to take to be safe:

Establish a Student Council to discuss everything that concerns students' well-being and learning

Establish a clear set of rules and guidelines with inputs from the student council and parents.

This needs to be disseminated to the wider school community to ensure awareness.

Have a Child Protection Committee in school – with clear charter of roles and responsibilities – involving both female and male staff members.

Do a thorough background check of every adult before hiring – both teaching and nonteaching staff.

Train teachers in do's and don'ts with regard to interacting with students and measures to be taken by the school to ensure child safety. They need to be sensitised and receptive towards children. They also need to know how to respond in a crisis.

Acquaint and sensitise children to what's sexual abuse - what's a 'good touch' and what's a 'bad touch'. Children need to know whom to approach if they are upset or sad. This can be done by putting up the name of the person they could reach out to along with the designated timings and contact telephone number/s.

Have open discussions with students on a scheduled and regular basis. Teachers need to create space and time to listen to each child with empathy.

Use a variety of modes to inculcate life skills and moral values – cinema, theatre etc

Have ID cards for every one in the school – children and adults

Have CCTV cameras in closed spaces and large open spaces – however everyone needs to be alert. As one Principal put it “ our eyes need to be our cameras”.

Have periodic parent teacher interactions to check children's well-being and growth as learners.

Steps a school needs to take to be seen to be safe:

Install Suggestion/ Complaint boxes in schools – and genuinely address the concerns and complaints regularly – either weekly or monthly

The existence of the Student Council demonstrates the empowered role that students can take to contribute to overall school well-being. However the Student Council must regularly meet and discuss student concerns and take action which is within their purview and ask for help from teachers and school management for aspects that need adult intervention.

Have regular Parent-Teacher Meetings to gather parental concerns or queries regarding any aspect of the school.

Be proactive whenever there's a complaint or concern shared by parents or teachers or students, with the help of the Student Council and Child Protection Committee.

Steps a school needs to take when in a crisis :

Set up a Crisis Committee (which is separate from the Child Protection Committee) who know how to handle issues that get 'blown up'. Clear steps need to be taken such as - assess and comprehend the situation and try to ascertain all the facts and allegations without getting defensive; inform concerned people – including the police (if necessary), lawyer, parents, whole staff, students regarding course of action.

Appoint a Public Relations Officer / School Relations Coordinator who will work in tandem with the Crisis Committee to honestly, calmly and transparently communicate to the public, including parents and media. It's vital that no attempt is made to cover up the truth.

Mete out consequences to the guilty in a prompt and rational manner after consultation with a lawyer.

Scrupulously protect the identity of the ' victim'. Listen to him/her and arrive at a solution after consultation with the management. Attend to her/his emotional and physical needs immediately.

Have team immediately set up to manage the crisis and have a therapeutic team of trained professionals to offer counselling sessions – one-on-one or in a group to students and other relevant stakeholders

Be non-judgemental and respectful, especially when the parent or the child is from a lower socio-economic strata.

The integrity of the school and its Management must not be undermined or compromised in any communication or interaction.

Once these eminently sane ideas for safer schools were shared with the whole group, The Teacher Foundation presented the Safe and Sensitive Schools (SASS) idea using Jenny Mosley's Whole School Ecosystemic Model of Quality Circle Time. TTF's SASS Project encapsulates all of the above points and trains and supports schools to become more safe and caring by setting up listening systems and clear behaviour policies for all – staff and students.

Whole School Ecosystemic Model(WSE) provides the essential framework for support, clear expectations, and guidance and establishes a sound base for fostering healthy and happy student development. The core idea of the WSE model is its 3 listening systems – Quality Circle Time, Think Books and Bubble Time. A safe school is one that listens to its people – teachers listening to students, students listening to each other and head listening to the teachers. Quality Circle Time or the group listening system promotes a collaborative atmosphere which encourages the children to experience doing things together and accept others as they are. The circle format is critical, as it has always been a symbol of unity, healing and power. The circle is also a non-hierarchical structure promoting active group-work, cooperation, where in each participant has an equal opportunity to participate. The circle is deeply embedded in the history of mankind because of its problem solving, goal achieving potential (Mosley, 1999).

Besides Circle Time, Bubble Time (one-on-one listening) and Think Books (non-verbal listening) provide a nurturing umbrella for learning within the school. These listening systems are held in place by the 'Golden Rules' that forms the backbone of the WSE model. These rules are the moral values of gentleness, kindness, honesty, respect for each other and for property and work ethic – all necessary ingredients for a safe and sensitive school.

The vote of thanks was given by Shweta Harshwal of Times Foundation who maintained that the work needs to continue beyond the day's discussion. “We have to be more proactive and less reactive”.

239
comments:

Really great article and give clear view how CCTV camera benefits kids. It's mandatory for a school and colleges to create safety and security for the students and also to watch their behaviour inside the school. CCTV Camera Dealers in Chennai

Security is necessary for all people and their assets. Good post. I like the way you written the post on safety and security. You have raised such great points to think about.Missouri Security Guard License

Nice article. You shared very useful points about security camera installation. I like your valuable information and I am looking for a CCTV camera price in chennai to fix it in my office. You suggest great points for security that are very useful. Thanks to share such useful security points with us.

Play Plants vs Zombies the fun-dead action-strategy hit that's won over 30 Game of the Year awards! Think fast and plant faster.Solitaire is usually played with one, or two standard 52-card decks shuffled together. A few games use non-standard or cut decks. The objective of solitaire game is typically to sort the pack of cards into order in accordance with particular rules of play. Player wins if the sorting is successful.Tom And Jerry Games - Play Free Tom And Jerry Games Online - Tom And Jerry Games for Kids

After you area unit scrutiny regarding 2 things, and you trust one among the choices, you must finalise your essay writing companies review by specifically revealing wherever your purpose comes from. Be concrete and avoid plagiarism. Remember, what you write describes you.happy wheelssuper mario brospacmanagario

Nicely written information in this post, the quality of content is fine and picture very nice. Things are very open and intensely clear explanation of issues.play run 3 | big head soccer | mahjong online |

This is a great article. It gave me a lot of useful information. thank you very much. Signature:Download retrica online includes more than eighty different filters with many different styles and include retrica indir , and zombie tsunami is the ideal game for anyone who loves the running game genre

In this game, you start at the cavern men's age, then evolve! There is a total of 5 ages, each with its units and turrets. Take control of 16 different units and 15 different turrets to defend your base and destroy your enemy.Age of War

In this game, you start at the cavern men's age, then evolve! There is a total of 5 ages, each with its units and turrets. Take control of 16 different units and 15 different turrets to defend your base and destroy your enemy.Age of War

Earn to Die 2 is a mobile game developed by Toffee Games. It is available on the App Store, Google Play and the Amazon Appstore Earn to Die | Earn to Die 3.Play the fabolous earn to die game and complete all the levels.You can play all the seven parts of the game on our website, including Tank trouble 2 is one of the best tank battle games and arcade games as a whole. If you love arcade games or want to play online against friends or family Tank trouble | Tank trouble 3 | Tank trouble 4

This is the best application on the drop today. There access to enjoy great moments of relaxation . Great! Thanks for sharing the information.Summon creatures to fight enemy units and demolish the opposing castle. Your castle is equipped with a crossbow, which you can use to shoot enemies . Make sure you upgrade skills to increase your chances of winning battles.: age of war 2 | age of war 5 | age of war 6 | age of war 4

Run 3 unblocked is the third install of the Run Serie. Skate, float, bounce, and/or jump your way through even more space tunnels! Run 2 unblocked game is next games in run series, now you can play run game with more and more level. Try to run as far as possible, good luck. Tanks Trouble is a game designed by danish Mads Purup. It is a maze party game with 1-3 players on one computer. The objective of the game is to destroy the other tanks to get a point.Run 2 - Run 2 unblocked - Tank Trouble - Tank Trouble 2

Life becomes more interesting and wonderful when you share your memorable moments with friends and family through unique photographs. You can create your own unique style impressed with image editing software.square quick , download square quick , square quick app

I used to play games after long day of work tired or bored. And I would recommend to everyone a very interesting game and attractive for both color and soundrun 2 , run 2 game , run 2 unblocked , run 2 , run 2

cabling contractors dc Banner Technologies has a professional team of VoIP experts, IT technicians, and other highly skilled employees, and can assist in deciding which VoIP service is best suited for each company. The company's experience with cabling services and telecommunications is an asset, ensuring efficiency for any business.

Very interesting blog. Alot of blogs I see these days don't really provide anything that I'm interested in, but I'm most definately interested in this one. Just thought that I would post and let you knowwings.io , wingsio , wings io , wingsio game , play wingsio

Life becomes more interesting and wonderful when you share your memorable moments with friends and family through unique photographs. You can create your own unique style impressed with image editing software. And after hours of work stress you can also

Life becomes more interesting and wonderful when you share your memorable moments with friends and family through unique photographs. You can create your own unique style impressed with image editing software. And after hours of work stress you can also dr driving, dr driving baixar ,download dr driving, dr driving

Thanks a lot for sharing with us. I have been waiting for someone to share this post. twizl This has actually made me think and I hope to read more - wheely Interested in some self reflection from students via video -bloxorz unblocked Let’s say you went on a field trip to the - and duck life Make sure that someone on the field trip - agario skins. This way students will have their imagesin

Everyone loves the look and feel of a clean home. Thanks for choosing this topic for post and update me. Game Stick RPG 2 looks like your real life, you can get everything you want, Ninja Games Free is a common playground game, return man saves your progress, with Potty Racers do you want to fly to Mars with me? Swords And Souls

Thanks for sharing such a nice article. It is really useful to me and all people. One think in my mind came while reading that it is not wasting of time. twizl juegos the aim of the game is to get the block to fall into the square hole at the end of each stage. There are 33 stages to complete. - zoxy game is a great place to play the best free online zoxy games, juegos zoxy, jogos zoxy, jeux de zoxy from the top game developers all over the world. -y10 play Play the best free online Y10 Games without need of installation. All Y10 Games are available directly in the browser. New games every day. Just click and play.

Kizi 100 Games is a great place to play free online kizi game game, sport, girl, including puzzle, boy and more juegos de kizi 100 game! Enjoy and play Kizi! We only publish the top rated hot friv school games on our website.

This is one very welcoming blog, i love the fact that you did take time to post such a nice post. You should do that more often and for sure we await for moreHotmail Login , Hotmail Signin , Hotmail Log in

Life becomes more interesting and wonderful when you share your memorable moments with friends and family through unique photographs. You can create your own unique style impressed with image editing software. And after hours of work stress you can also dr driving, dr driving baixar ,download dr driving, dr driving

Life becomes more interesting and wonderful when you share your memorable moments with friends and family through unique photographs. You can create your own unique style impressed with image editing software. And after hours of work stress you can also